Modern Furniture
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Resin
21st Century and Contemporary German Modern Furniture
Blown Glass
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile, Ash
21st Century and Contemporary Swiss Modern Furniture
Leather
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Furniture
Limestone
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Ceramic, Stoneware
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric
2010s American Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Walnut
2010s Mexican Modern Furniture
Resin
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Travertine
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass, Gold Leaf
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Fabric, Wool, Bouclé, Fur, Faux Fur, Sheepskin, Linen, Velvet, Wood, Ash
2010s Dutch Modern Furniture
Marble
2010s Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Faux Fur, Linen, Cotton, Sheepskin, Fabric, Ash, Acrylic, Bouclé, Wool, ...
2010s American Modern Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Walnut
1980s Swiss Vintage Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Moroccan Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Metal
20th Century Turkish Modern Furniture
Wool, Cotton
2010s American Modern Furniture
Fabric, Mohair, Walnut
20th Century French Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
1960s French Vintage Modern Furniture
Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plastic
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Metal, Gold Leaf
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Fabric, Hardwood
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
21st Century and Contemporary Australian Modern Furniture
Marble, Brass, Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Ukrainian Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary European Modern Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Paper
2010s American Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Wood, Oak
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Textile
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Hardwood, Maple, Walnut
2010s American Modern Furniture
Aluminum, Brass, Chrome
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Cedar
2010s Italian Modern Furniture
Velvet
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Furniture
Fabric
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Other
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Modern Furniture
Stainless Steel
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s Taiwanese Modern Furniture
Steel
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Furniture
Wrought Iron
2010s American Modern Furniture
Sheepskin, Wood, Oak
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Maple
2010s French Modern Furniture
Brass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Furniture
Plywood, Leather, Foam, Rubber, Down
2010s Nepalese Modern Furniture
Wool, Silk
2010s Portuguese Modern Furniture
Velvet, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Furniture
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Maple
2010s American Modern Furniture
Leather, Ziricote
2010s American Modern Furniture
Wood, Oak